2. The Cubberly-Britton Cottage, 1670

Built in circa 1670, the Cubberly-Britton Cottage originally resided in New Dorp Beach, on the intersection of New Dorp Lane and Cedar Grove Avenue. It’s now part of the Historic Richmond Town, an authentic town and farm museum complex in the neighborhood of Richmond. The stone center of the cottage, which has been identified as its earliest section, was built on the “Governor’s Lot” of Staten Island. The town’s clerk, Obidiah Holmes, is documented to have lived in the house, indicating the likelihood of the cottage being used for both residential as well as government and court functions.

The Cubberly-Britton Cottage is a one and one-and-a-half story farmhouse made of fieldstone and wooden frames. It’s a simple and balanced representative early colonial architecture. Nathaniel Britton and his wife Elizabeth Britton acquired the cottage in 1695, and Isaac Cubberly purchased the property in 1761. In the late 19th century, Dr. Nathaniel Britton, a descendant of Nathaniel Britton, became the owner of the house. He is known as a botanist and the founder of the New York Botanical Garden. As of now the building is still in renovation and not open to the public.

The Cubberly-Britton Cottage is located in the Historic Richmond Town on 441 Clarke Avenue